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A person driving with a GPS device displaying a map and a message about a hidden highlight ahead. 1
A deer with large antlers in a grassy field with sparse trees. 2
A tent set up on a rocky terrain with a chair and backpack nearby. 3
A mountain with a rocky peak and a field of purple flowers in the foreground. 4
A desert landscape with large boulders and sparse vegetation. 5
By GuideAlong (GyPSy Guide)
Free cancellation available
Price is £15 per traveller* *Get a lower price by selecting multiple travellers
See tickets

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 22h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

  • Download GuideAlong’s self-guided audio tour of Big Bend National Park and discover its wild beauty of vast deserts, towering mountains and dramatic canyons. Walk through ancient history at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit, soak in the Hot Springs Canyon’s warm waters, see towering limestone walls carved by the Rio Grande at the Santa Elena Canyon, and take in expansive desert views at Sotol Vista.

    Along the way, hear stories of frontier history, lost treasures, and untamed landscapes as you journey through this rugged and unforgettable terrain.

    Enjoy the freedom to explore offine at your own pace.

    Stories, tips, and directions play automatically based on your location
    Travel at your own pace
    Tour offline using GPS. No cell service or WiFi is needed
    Suggested itineraries for half, full, or multi-day use
    No time limits or expiry, and free updates
    Like having a tour guide along for the drive

    Purchase one tour per vehicle.

Activity location

  • Upper Burro Mesa Pour-Off Trailhead
    • Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
    • 79834, Big Bend National Park, Texas, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Farm to Market Road 170
    • Farm to Market Road 170
    • Presidio, Texas, United States

Multiple meeting/redemption points available, see location information for full list

Check availability

Provided by GuideAlong in English

  • Activity duration is 22 hours22h
    22h
  • Opening hours: Thu 06:00-18:00
  • English
Language options: English
Price details
£14.76 x 1 Traveller£14.76
Total
Price is £14.76

What's included, what's not

  • Inclusions
    Support: Free phone, chat and email
  • Inclusions
    Easy To Use: Pre-download and tour offline
  • Inclusions
    Trip Planners: In-app, web and PDF
  • Inclusions
    Location Based: Stories, tips & directions that autoplay
  • Inclusions
    One-Time Purchase: No time or date use limit or expiry
  • Inclusions
    GuideAlong (GyPSy Guide) Audio Tour: 125+ Points
  • Inclusions
    Includes an app based self-guided experience, so you do not need any in-person guide.
  • Inclusions
    Flexible Routes: Suggested itineraries or create your own
  • Exclusions
    Entry Fees, National Park Passes, Reservations

Know before you book

    • Public transport options are available nearby
    • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
    • How to Access: After booking you’ll receive an email and text with instructions (search “Download Audio Tour”). Click the link in the email/text to sign in with your preferred Apple or Google account and redeem your voucher code ahead of time.
    • Download The GuideAlong App: Download the free app over WiFi or cellular data and sign in with the same Apple or Google account.
    • Download The Tour: Download the tour in the GuideAlong app under 'My Tours' over WiFi or cellular data.
    • Start The Tour: Open the tour in the GuideAlong app to preview the start locations, tour route and trip planner, or start the tour.
    • Location-Based Stories: Audio commentary plays automatically as you drive using your phone’s GPS chip. Wherever you are and whichever direction you’re going, you’ll hear the best stories and tips.
    • Flexible Travel Date: Tours are a one-time purchase with no expiry or date/time limit. If your plans change to a different day, there’s no need to change your travel date.
    • Tour at Your Leisure: With GuideAlong, you control the pace. Start, stop, and resume the tour any day, anytime, adapting it to your schedule.
    • Driving Tours: Group Savings: One purchase covers everyone in the vehicle, making it a cost-effective way to explore.
    • Works Offline: No internet or cell service is required once the audio tour is downloaded to your phone, so you can relax and tour offline.
    • Bring A Charger: Pack a USB/C car charger for charging and easy sound connectivity, and make sure your device is fully charged.
    • Technical Support: The GuideAlong support team is available daily by free phone phone, online chat, and email.
    • The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.
    • In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, activities services are not subject to the right of withdrawal. Supplier cancellation policy will apply.
    • This activity is provided by a professional trader (a party acting within their trade, business or profession).

Activity itinerary

Persimmon Gap Visitor Center

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
Persimmon Gap serves as the northern gateway to Big Bend National Park, welcoming travellers into the vast Chihuahuan Desert. The visitor centre provides maps, park information, exhibits, and an introduction to the natural and cultural heritage found along the road ahead.

Dog Canyon (Pass by)

Devil’s Den leads visitors towards a striking limestone slot canyon carved by centuries of erosion. The rugged desert approach reveals dramatic rock formations and provides an adventurous introduction to Big Bend’s remote northern wilderness.

Fossil Discovery Exhibit (Pass by)

The Fossil Discovery Exhibit offers a fascinating glimpse into the ancient creatures that once inhabited this rugged desert landscape. Fossils, life-size displays, and educational panels reveal more than 130 million years of history, from enormous reptiles and dinosaurs to mammals that appeared much later.

Panther Junction Visitor Center (Pass by)

Panther Junction is the principal visitor centre and administrative hub of Big Bend National Park. Its exhibits introduce the park’s geology, wildlife, desert ecology, and human history, while rangers provide maps, permits, and valuable trip-planning guidance.

Dugout Wells (Pass by)

Dugout Wells is a historic desert oasis where early settlers established a small community supported by underground water. A windmill continues to nourish the surrounding vegetation, while the nearby nature trail showcases plants adapted to the harsh Chihuahuan Desert.

Hot Springs Historic District (Pass by)

The Hot Springs Historic District preserves the remains of J.O. Langford’s early twentieth-century health resort beside the Rio Grande. Visitors can explore historic buildings, view ancient rock markings, and experience the naturally heated spring water along the riverbank.

Ernst Tinaja (Pass by)

Ernst Tinaja is a dramatic limestone canyon known for its sculpted rock walls and naturally formed water pools. Reached by the rugged Old Ore Road, this remote destination highlights the powerful role of water in shaping Big Bend’s desert geology.

Rio Grande Overlook (Pass by)

Rio Grande Overlook presents expansive views across the river valley towards the mountains and desert of Mexico. The viewpoint illustrates how the Rio Grande has shaped both the physical landscape and the international boundary running through Big Bend.

Rio Grande Village (Pass by)

Rio Grande Village is a peaceful riverside area surrounded by desert vegetation, cottonwood trees, and abundant birdlife. It serves as an important visitor hub on the park’s eastern side, offering access to trails, scenic viewpoints, camping, and visitor services.

Rio Grande Village Nature Trail

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
The Rio Grande Village Nature Trail crosses a wetland before climbing to a low ridge overlooking the river and surrounding mountains. Its changing habitats attract numerous birds and wildlife, making it one of the park’s most rewarding short nature walks. NPS Rio Grande Village information

Terlingua

  • 5m
Terlingua Ghost Town preserves the weathered remains of a once-prosperous mercury-mining community. Adobe ruins, historic buildings, and the old cemetery tell the storey of miners and families who created a settlement in this isolated desert region.

Entrance Station (Pass by)

Maverick Entrance Station welcomes travellers arriving from Terlingua and serves as the western gateway to Big Bend National Park. Visitors can purchase their park pass and receive essential information before continuing towards Maverick Junction and the scenic park roads.

Sam Nail Ranch (Pass by)

Sam Nail Ranch preserves the remains of a homestead established during Big Bend’s ranching era. Its working windmill creates a small desert oasis that attracts birds and wildlife, offering visitors a quiet glimpse into life on an isolated frontier ranch.

Upper Burro Mesa Pour-Off Trailhead

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
Upper Burro Mesa Pouroff Trail follows a rocky desert drainage through colourful volcanic formations. The route gradually reveals the powerful effects of flash floods, ending above a dramatic dry waterfall carved into the mesa.

Homer Wilson Ranch

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
The overlook provides a commanding view of Homer Wilson’s historic Blue Creek Ranch, once among the largest ranching operations in the region. A descending trail leads towards the preserved ranch house and connects with longer routes through the surrounding desert.

Sotol Vista Overlook (Pass by)

Sotol Vista overlooks the sweeping western desert of Big Bend, with distant views extending towards Santa Elena Canyon. The elevated viewpoint is especially admired for its sunsets, mountain silhouettes, and vast panorama of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Big Bend National Park (Pass by)

The Chimneys Trail crosses open desert towards a pair of prominent volcanic rock formations. Near the formations, visitors can discover evidence of Indigenous presence, including rock art and signs of people who travelled through this landscape centuries ago.

Goat Mountain Observation Point

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
Goat Mountain Observation Point highlights the volcanic forces that shaped the western side of Big Bend. Layers of rock, desert ridges, and distant mountains create an impressive natural display of the park’s complex geological history.

Mule Ears Viewpoint (Pass by)

Mule Ears Viewpoint is named for two distinctive volcanic peaks rising sharply above the desert. The viewpoint provides a memorable photo stop, while a nearby trail travels through the desert towards a secluded spring.

Tuff Canyon (Pass by)

Tuff Canyon was carved through layers of compressed volcanic ash deposited by ancient eruptions. Visitors can observe its narrow walls from roadside platforms or descend into the canyon for a closer look at its unusual textures and formations.

Castolon Historic District

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
The Castolon Historic District preserves buildings connected to military activity, farming, ranching, and border commerce. The area later became the headquarters of the La Harmonia Company, which supplied families living throughout this remote section of Big Bend.

Castolon Store

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
Castolon Store reflects the district’s history as an important trading and supply centre along the United States–Mexico border. It continues the tradition of serving travellers while preserving the character of this historic desert community.

Dorgan Sublett Trail (Pass by)

The Dorgan–Sublett Trail explores the remains of early twentieth-century homesteads overlooking the Rio Grande valley. Adobe ruins and desert views reveal the determination of families who attempted to build permanent lives in this demanding environment.

Santa Elena River Access (Pass by)

Santa Elena River Access brings visitors directly to the banks of the Rio Grande beneath towering canyon walls. It offers a striking perspective of the river as it enters one of Big Bend’s most impressive limestone canyons.

Santa Elena Canyon Overlook

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
Santa Elena Canyon Overlook presents a sweeping view of the enormous limestone gorge carved by the Rio Grande. Its sheer walls rise approximately 1,500 feet above the river, forming one of the park’s most recognisable landscapes.

Santa Elena Canyon (Pass by)

The Santa Elena Canyon Trail follows the Rio Grande before climbing above Terlingua Creek and entering the mouth of the canyon. Towering limestone walls surround the route, creating a dramatic finale to the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive

Lost Mine Trail (Pass by)

Lost Mine Trail climbs through forests and rocky slopes to expansive views of the Chisos Mountains and surrounding desert. Its name comes from a local legend involving a hidden mine whose location was supposedly concealed forever.

Casa Grande Peak (Pass by)

Casa Grande Peak rises prominently above the Chisos Basin, forming one of the area’s most recognisable mountain silhouettes. Its massive volcanic slopes dominate the scenery and demonstrate the geological forces that created this isolated mountain range.

Chisos Basin Visitor Center

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
The Chisos Basin Visitor Centre sits within a natural mountain basin surrounded by towering cliffs and peaks. It introduces visitors to the area’s wildlife, geology, hiking opportunities, and the unique “sky island” environment found high above the desert.

Window View Trail (Pass by)

Window View Trail is a short, paved route offering impressive views through the famous opening known as the Window. Mountains frame the distant desert like a natural picture, making this an especially popular location for viewing the sunset.

The Window Trailhead

  • 5m
  • Admission ticket not included
The Window Trail descends through the Chisos Basin towards a narrow opening between towering rock walls. At its conclusion, seasonal water has polished the rock into a smooth pour-off overlooking the desert far below.

Chisos Basin Trailhead (Pass by)

The Chisos Basin Loop Trail travels through mountain woodland and open slopes surrounding the developed basin. Changing elevations provide excellent views of Casa Grande, the Window, and the contrasting desert landscape beyond the mountains.

Laguna Meadows Trail (Pass by)

Laguna Meadow Trail climbs steadily into the higher elevations of the Chisos Mountains. Forested slopes, mountain wildlife, and broad desert panoramas make it an important access route towards the South Rim and Big Bend’s mountain backcountry. NPS hiking information

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Upper Burro Mesa Pour-Off Trailhead
    • Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
    • 79834, Big Bend National Park, Texas, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Farm to Market Road 170
    • Farm to Market Road 170
    • Presidio, Texas, United States
  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    U.S. Highway 385
    • U.S. Highway 385
    • Odessa, Texas, United States
  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Texas 118
    • Texas 118
    • Texas, Texas, United States

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